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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28114428">What Throws You, Grows You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/josywbu/pseuds/josywbu'>josywbu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Irondad Advent Calendar 2020 [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anxiety Ensues, Choosing the right College, College, Fluff, Gen, Impromtu therapy session, Peter Parker is unsure, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, list making</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:07:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,693</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28114428</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/josywbu/pseuds/josywbu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The college acceptance letters are out and Peter got expected into all he applied. He very maturely tries to completely avoid making a decision until someone decides to sit him down for an impromptu therapy session to get to the bottom of what he really wants.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ned Leeds &amp; Peter Parker, Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Irondad Advent Calendar 2020 [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2029600</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>What Throws You, Grows You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was supposed to be something else entirely when I started writing but now here we are. :D</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peter gets his first college acceptance letter on April 3<sup>rd</sup> which, in and of itself, is such a mundane day for his world to suddenly turn upside down he doesn’t fully realize the extent to which everything changes until two days later over sandwiches with Ned.</p><p>“Oh god,” he groans and puts down his sandwich midbite, “We’re going to college.” He stares at Ned who seems a lot less stressed about the whole ordeal but who pats his shoulder compassionately. “Oh no,” Peter dumps his head on the sticky table, sandwich now all but forgotten. “I have to make a decision that’s gonna affect the rest of my life.”</p><p>Did he expect getting into some of his first-choice colleges? Yes, yes, he did.</p><p>Did he expect that he might get into all his first-choice colleges? Well, it was a possibility.</p><p>Did it ever occur to him that having too many choices might be his anxiety-inducing actual downfall? <em>Hell</em> no.</p><p>“I don’t know what I want, Ned,” he whispers in horror, “I could go to MIT like Tony did because it’s the single best school for engineering ever and he’d be so proud! Or I could go to Stanford just so I don’t have to worry about my stupid body hibernating in winter. Or I could stay here because it’s <em>New York</em>. I don’t know what to do, Ned. I don’t know what to do.”</p><p>And then there’s the matter of his friends. MJ is almost certainly going to NYU but Ned is definitely leaving for Boston and he’s definitely not keeping both of them in his range.</p><p>“Is this what growing up is all about? The constant anxiety to most certainly screw up your entire life?”</p><p>Ned shrugs in sympathy, “Well, my mum always says: ‘<em>Everything that throws you, grows you’</em> so if you get through the throwing part you’ll also get to the growing part.”</p><p>Peter sighs miserably. “Can’t your mum just decide for me?”</p><p>“I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to work, Peter,” Ned laughs and steals his sandwich. “I think that’s a decision you’ll have to make on your own.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>After spending the next three days trying to coax and persuade literally every single person he meets into making the decision for him, Peter decides that Ned might actually be right.</p><p>Even Karen starts worrying about him when he grills a perp who he has just webbed to the side of an alley about the college he attended and what he thought of NYU compared to Columbia. He suspects its her who calls in the big guns after that. Quite literally so because, just before the police arrive at the scene of the crime to scrape the offender off the wall, Iron-Man appears out of nowhere and he has no choice but to cling to the armor on their ride to the tower.</p><p>Well, he could’ve just webbed away if he really meant to do it but, man, this non-stop doom and gloom thinking really got a person too tired to escape their superhero mentor.</p><p>Roughly five minutes later, Peter plops down on the couch, mask pulled from his head but with a pillow on his face just so he doesn’t have to deal with anything at all ever. He’s beginning to think that that might actually be a good approach to life in general when something is being dropped on his stomach, followed by something else that is most definitely a pen.</p><p>“Ow,” he protests and flails his hand to shield himself from possible future attacks. When they don’t come he cautiously lifts the pillow and sneaks a peek at his mentor, fully relaxed in the arm chair and patiently waiting for him to come out of his tantrum. His word, not Peter’s.</p><p>He blindly grabbles for the pen and what he soon recognizes to be a notebook.</p><p>“What am I supposed to do with that?”</p><p>Tony levels him with an unimpressed stare, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Make a list.”</p><p>“Of what,” Peter shoots back sarcastically, “all the times you flew me somewhere without my consent? My favorite macaroni recipes? All your most awful outfits?”</p><p>He rolls his eyes and doesn’t rise to the bait – a first for Tony Stark for sure. “Of colleges. Do some written pro and contra and see where it takes you. It can’t be worse than what you’ve been doing so far.” He abstractly points to Peter as a concept.</p><p>He sniffs. “I take offense to that. I’m handling this perfectly.”</p><p>Tony raises a single eye brow. “I talked to May.”</p><p>“Whatever,” he huffs and stares down at the blank piece of paper, then back up at Tony. “How am I even supposed to start?” he asks, letting all pretense fall off his shoulders for the time being.</p><p>Tony leans forward, eyes growing sympathetic which is nice, you know, but sympathy really doesn’t help much at all. “Tell me about the 3 colleges you’re most likely going to.”</p><p>He thinks. “MIT, obviously,” he says after a moment, not meeting Tony’s eyes, “Columbia and NYU,” he adds slowly, “But then what about Stanford? Not freezing in winter would be such a huge win.” He groans. “I hate this.”</p><p>Tony, to his credit, doesn’t react to his exhaustion at all. He simply leans back in his chair and puts his ankle on his other knee, hands interlocked in front of his face. Truth be told, he looks more like a therapist than anything else but, what the hell, Peter thinks and sits up a little straighter, staring at his note pad.</p><p>“Stanford is a great choice for college and San Francisco is a nice city,” he says slowly and without judgement, “But you have to know if the weather is going to be what you’ll be deciding on here.”</p><p>Peter bites his lip, then shakes his head and starts neatly writing down three options in the first row.</p><p>
  <em>MIT, Columbia, NYU</em>
</p><p>He stares at the three names and internally goes through everything that compels him of each one of them.</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td>

<p><em><span class="u">MIT</span></em></p>
</td>
<td>

<p><em><span class="u">Columbia</span></em></p>
</td>
<td>

<p><em><span class="u">NYU</span></em></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">

<p><em>literally the <span class="u">best</span> in engineering</em></p>

<p><em>Mister Stark went there</em></p>

<p><em>Ned</em></p>
</td>
<td>

<p><em>in New York</em></p>

<p></p>
</td>
<td>

<p><em>in New York</em></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table><p>“I want to stay in New York,” he blurts out before he can think better of it, “I know MIT is the best and Ned will be there and it would be so cool but I can’t leave New York.”</p><p>He’s grateful when Tony doesn’t move a single mimic muscle and simply cocks his head to the side.</p><p>“You’re allowed to prioritize your education over Spider-Man,” he reminds him gently, still without a hint of judgement in his voice.</p><p>“I know,” Peter agrees with a pained expression, “But I can’t give up Spider-Man and Spider-Man can’t just relocate to Boston. And it’s not like I’m choosing Spider-Man over getting a good education. I’m just choosing him over going to the <em>best</em> school.”</p><p>“Then MIT is out,” Tony simply sums up.</p><p>Peter’s pen hovers over the name. “You’re not mad, right? I know you’re a MIT alumnus and–“</p><p>“No,” he cuts him off before he gets lost in his rambling and unreasonable reasoning, “I’m not mad at all, bud. This is not about what I did and what I think. It’s about what you want and what’s important for you.”</p><p>“But you’d tell me before I did something really stupid, right?”</p><p>Tony laughs quietly, “You bet I would. And I would not let you live it down.”</p><p>“Okay,” he exhales loudly and crosses out MIT, now left to stare at the two names left with a somewhat lighter heart. “By the way,” he adds, now that the big lump in his throat has somewhat dwindled and he feels more relaxed than he has in days, “Spider-Man is not the only reason I want to stay here. I don’t wanna be too far from May. Or you. And, anyway, I think you can teach me a whole lot, too.”</p><p>“Stop the sweet talking, kid. You know I’ll help you move without all that. And no matter how much, I won’t do any of your projects for you.”</p><p>Peter flutters his eyelashes sweetly. “Not even if I say please?”</p><p>Tony glares but doesn’t agree or deny anything which, in Peter’s book, is a win. He looks back down and starts scribbling.</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>

<p><em><span class="u">Columbia</span></em></p>
</td>
<td>

<p><em><span class="u">NYU</span></em></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>

<p><em>in New York</em></p>

<p><em>Ivy league</em></p>

<p><em>better ranking for engineering</em></p>
</td>
<td>

<p><em>in New York</em></p>

<p><em>not elite</em></p>

<p><em>MJ</em></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table><p> </p><p>He bites down on his bottom lip and stares at his notes.</p><p>“Can I think out loud for a second without you thinking I’m a complete weirdo.”</p><p>“No,” Tony shakes his head, “I already think you’re a complete weirdo but do try the thinking out loud, maybe it’ll help your status.”</p><p>“Har har,” he replies and leans back on the couch, notepad on his belly. He’s beginning to embrace their impromptu therapy session.</p><p>“I think, of the two of them Columbia is the better engineering school which I definitely want to be my major but it kind of scares me that it’s an Ivy league school, you know?” He doesn’t wait for an answer. “I mean, not scare-scare me but I’ve never thought of myself being part of some sort of elite group and NYU just seems so much more down to earth, right? No fancy gates and stuff. But then again,” he huffs dramatically, “I feel like I’m self-sabotaging because I already decided against the <em>best</em> school and now I should at least get the next best thing, right? But <em>then</em> at NYU at least I’d still have MJ and I hate being completely alone.”</p><p>He covers his face with both hands, inhales deeply and then drops both arms to his side.</p><p>“I’m going to Columbia.”</p><p>“Attaboy!” Tony breaks his serious expression with a proud smile that Peter returns wholeheartedly, now fully freed from the tension of the last week.</p><p>“And you’re still going to help me move.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>(And he does. However, Peter doesn’t think he’ll live down the mortification of Iron-Man flying his moving boxes to campus any time soon. At least it’s a conversation opener on his first day of class.)</p>
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